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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · kick · swing · kid · race · band · pit · season

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. race — a contest
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. race — the arms race
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — a hole
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. kid — child
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — to tease
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kick — in football
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com